Warp-controlling device for looms.



s. A. JOHNSTQNE. WAR P CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR LOOMS. APPLICATION FILED MAYQ. I917- Patented Feb. l8, 1919.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1. H

. BY v v I G. A. JOHNSTONE.

WFRP CONTROLLINGDEWCE FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9 )917.

Patented Feb. 18,1919.

a SHEETSS HEET 2.

v e. A. JOHNSTONE. WARP CONTROLLING-DEVICE FOR LOOMS.

APPLlCATION FILED MAY 9, 19]?- Patented Feb. 18,1919.

n 3 SHEETS-SHEET J.

ATTOQNEAS through the harness one end to a hecldle,

nae re A GORDON A. JOHNSTONE, 0F ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

WAEP- CONTBQLLING DEVICE FOR LOOIiIS.

weasel).

and. useful Improvements in arp-(iontrolling Devices for Looms, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to looms and con sists of an improved devicefor controlling the tension of the warp-yarns during the weaving operation. The object of my im- }')rovement isto regulate the tension on the two sets of warp-yarns manipulated by the harnes to provide for a uniform spacing oi distribution of the yarns at the tell of the-- fabric whereby to prevent the appear anee of reediness or unevenness in the eioth.

In weaving most varieties of goods it is the general practice to draw the warp alternating between front and back harnesses, while in the reed two yarns are drawn through each dent. segregate the yarns in pairs at the tell of the eioth, preventing them from lining uniformly distributed and equally spared thereacross, and hem-e eausing what is known as reediness in the finished fabric. Stated briefly. the tension on the Warp draws the yarns together where they pass through the reed. dents in pairs, and this causes uneven spaeing; or pairing of the yarns in the fabric, To overcome this defect in line goods it has SiIUlHli/lliifih been the practice to employ twice the usual nun'ilier of dents to the read, with eaeh yarn drawn through a separate dent. i'lueh a 'method eannot he used in most classes of weaving, however, since it seriously interferes with production and ronseuuently increases the cost of the goods.

Various expedients in the adjustment of the loom have hereli'iiore heen altempted to eliminate this defeet'ol reediness or uneven spacing of the warp-yarns, hutin most (as-es the tension on the warp has llllli ineieased to such an extent as to cause had weaving and slow production. \V-ith my present improvement leontroi the yarns at the same distanee hark oi the harness as the tell of the cloth is from the trout then of, thereby equalizing the tension on the separate yarns while raising the-warp higher at this point than at the whip-roll. This Specification of Letters Patent.

This tends to Patented Feb. is, rare,

Application flied my 9, 1917. Serial in. 167,573. v

arrangement allows the upper warp varne to remain relatively slack while the filling is being, put in whereby when the filling is being beaten up the whole series of yarn -will he equalized in their distribution across the loom to prevent unequal spacing and consequent reediness in the cloth.

The manner and means for carrying out the improvement are fully described in the following specification, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which like referenee characters designate like parts. In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective .view of a portion of a loom showing my improved attachment applied to use thereon;

Fig. 2, a diagrammatic view illustrating the unequal spacing of the warp-yarns in the fabric which causes the reedy appearance; v

Fig. 3, a similar view showing the uniform spacing or distribution. of the warpyarns as effected by the use of my new apparatus whereby the cloth is improved in its texture and finish;

Fig. 4, an enlarged, perspective view of my improved deviee showing the means for .adjustahly attaching it to the loom-frame;

' Fig. 5, a detail View of a attarlunent;

Fig, (i, a view showing a modification in portion of the the arrangement and method of operation of the mechanism; and

Figs. 7, 8 and 9, diagrammatic views showing the manner in which the device functions during the several steps in the weaning operation oi the loom.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. l, A designates one side of a loom-frame of usual ronstructimi, B the beam on whirh the warp ii is wound, andit the whip-roll over whi'eh the yarns we draw to the harnesses ll, ll. My improved warp-eontrolling ilevire extends arrossihe loom at a point approximately midway hetween the rear harnrss and the whip-roll and preferably at the same distance hack oi the harness as the toll is in front tluireo'l. The apparatus comprises, essentially, two parallel, transverse bars or lease-rods L, L adapted to he inserted through the separated sections 1.1),:0 oi the warp Wand supported at their ends to allow them to oseillateahout a central axis. Extending across the loom betwleen the lease-rods L L and parallel I mounted on the top of standards S, S which loofn by means L-shaped plate are attached to the side-frames A oft-he of the clamp-brackets C, C. C consists of a substantially channeled vertically to provide the projecting bearing-ribs a, c and formed with holes 0, c for receiving the bolts 0, 0, see Fig. 1, by which it is clamped to the side of the frame A. The upright Each bracket arm of the L-bracket G is adapted to fit within the slotted, lower end of the and or standard S which is fastened thereto by means of the bolt 1) extending through the vertical slot 3, with a nut n and washer m at its end. Referring to Fig. 5, each frame F is constructed with two divergent arms f,

x formed with inclined slots 1) o and connected by a central web 7. The web 7" is thickened at its center to form a bearing e which is providcd with a vertical slot t wherein the end of the fixed T-bar or warprest T is supported. To adapt the frames F to support a round rod K, which is sometimes used in place of the bar T, as shown in Fig. 5, the slot 2% is cored out at is to pro-- videa cylindrical opening for the end of the rod. Projecting from the side of the bracket F is a base 9 adapted to set on the top of the arm ,8. A bolt 6 extends up through a slot s in the aim S and through the base 9, with a nut n and washer m on its end to clamp the parts together. The slots 8 in the bracket C provided for vertical adjustment of the arm S, and the slots .9

in the arm S allows for horizontal adjustother resilient material to ment of the frame F so that the cross-bar T and its associated lease-rods may be set in different positions in relation to the other parts of the loom.

The lease-rods L, Lare supported at their ends in the inclined slots *0, o of the frames F, F to adapt them'to play up and down in relation to the fixed bar T, or rod K, as the case may be. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the sides of the slots 0, 'v are 'pret erably lined with strips of leather Z, Zor some prevent chafing and w'earbetwee-n the p rt. It is also to be noted that the slots '0, o are somewhat arcnuts in contour, substantially concentric to a point midway between their upper ends.-

- Through this arrangement the lease-rods.

L, L are guided in their movement in more or less arcuate paths about a central axis located above the top of' the fixed bar T.

Myi improved device is attached to the loom by lamping the brackets C to the op- .posite side-frames A, as sh'own in= 1,

with the bolts o, a passing through suit Where a its bottom flange or rib is cut away at thethrough the warp between the alternate yarns w and the lease-rod L to arms S are then fitted to the upper ends of the brackets C and secured thereto, by means i of the bolts 72. The frames F are next placed on top of the arms or standards S and fastened thereto by means of the bolts '6, the slots 8 and 8 allowing for vertical and horizontal adjustment of the frames F to bring them into correct height and at the proper distance in back of the harness H. With the frames F, F in position as above described, the fixed bar or warp-rest T is next .set in place by inserting its ends in the vertical slote t, t. T-bar is employed for this purpose ends to allow'its main bar to slide into the slots t, t. For most purposes a flat bar may be used in place of the T-bar, but the latter form of rest provides a stiffer structure and prevents sagging at the center when coarse yarns are being woven under relatively heavy tension. For very fine yarns the light, round rod K, shown in Fig. 5, is substituted for the flat or T-bar T, with its ends held in the openings in the frames F, F.

Referring now to Figs? ,8 and 9,'the Warp is led up from the beam B over the whiproll R and thence across the fixed support orrcst T to the harnesses H, H. One set of opposite relation at the yarns 10 is drawn through the heddle-s it preferably raised slightly above the top of" the whip-roll R, this setting. being provided for on different types of looms through the adjustment-of the frames F, F as previously explained. As shown in Fig. 7, it is the prsferred practice to employ a front leasero L the rear rod L is usually ofc lindrical form. The two lease-rods L and ii are inserted twosets of ,on either side of the fixed rest T, with theirendsscated in the inclined slots v 'v of the frames F, F. Oneset of yarns w, indicated by the full lines iii-Figs. 7 to 8, draws from the whiprollR across the top of the rear lease-rod of oval shape m cross-sec'tion while L, thence over the fixed rest T and under the rear harness H. other set of alternateyarnsm, represented by dot-anddash llnes, draws from the whip- .roll R in under the rear lease' rod L, thence across the fixedrest T and over thetop of the front lease-rod L to the front harness H. In other words the alternate yarns w and 'w The ' cross at the top of the rest with one set The movement of the arnesses H and H" vertically in alternately opposite directionsopened to receive the shuttle, which car-.

rice the weft or filling, and the lay Y at the back of its stroke. In Fig. 8 the two harnesses H and H are shown in mean position, midway between the limits of their throw, with the lay Y'carried forward to .cause the reed Dto beat up the filling. at :the fell 00.. As shown in' Fig. 9, the lay Y has returned to the back end of its stroke, and the harnesses H and H have been reversed to raise the set of yarns w and de press'the other set 20. to again open the shed to receive another len h of weft thread.

separates the twosets of warp yarns to provide for the passa e of the shuttle throu h the shed, one set 0 yarns being raised while the otheris depressed in the ,well known manner common to plain weaving. Mean.

while, thisalternate shifting of the barnesses causpsa corresponding up and down motion of the leiase-rods L and L under the,

" influence of the two sets of yarns w and w-.

' lease-rods in the slots 0, e of the'frames This is provided for by the sliding of tlfii e F which allow for a rockingmotion thereoi as required. In Fig. 7 the yarns w are shown as supporting the front lease-rod L in raised position in relation to the fixed bar T, while the rear lease-rod L is lowered in position toward the bottom of its slots em in the frames F, F. As shown in Fig. 8,the harnesses H and H are in mid position, with the front lease-rod'L lowered somewhat while the rear one L is correspondingly raised; and in Fig. 9 the harnesses are shifted the entire distance, while the osition of the two lease-rods is reversed trom that shown in Fig. 7 the front rod L being near the lower end of its slots 1), and the rear rod L being at the top of the slots '1; which are represent/ed by dash lines. In this manner the two lease-rods. L, L are caused to os .:illate up and down about a central axis which is substantially coincident with the top of the fixed bar or rest T. The extent of this oscillating motion of the lease-rods is variable with the vertical adjustment of the fixed bar T and may be regulated as required to give the best results. The effect of this alternate shifting of the lease-rods is to regulate the tension of the two sets of warp-yarns w and w whereby the upper yarns remain relatively slack during the insertion of the filling whilc at. the same time being held undcr sufiicient tension to prevent them from interfering with the passage of the shuttle through the shed. This slackin of the yarns allows the filling thread to beaten up into the fell of the cloth with the Warpyarns disposed in parallel alinement at equal intervals thoreacross. In other words, it prevents the tension on the warp from drawing the alternate yarns w and w together where they pass throu h the reeddents in pairs and therefore eliminates. the uneven spacing or pairing of the yarns which gives the reedy appearance to the finished cloth as. illustrated in Fig. 2. Stated briefly, the oscillation or play of the lease-rods serves to control the tension on the warp-yarns in such manner as to permit them to ie straight under equalized dis-. tribution across the fabric, thereby improving the texture and giving a superior finish to the goods.

Fig. 6'illustrates a modification in the arrangement for supporting the lease-rods L and L, showing means for rocking the rods positively. In this embodiment of the inventionthe ends of the rods L and L are rotatably mounted in opposite rocker-arms P pivoted at p K. .A lever U is connected to one of the rocker-arms P by means of a link it and carries a stud or roll u at its opposite end I engaging a groove or track a in the heartcam Z. The cam Z may lie-driven from the liarnessemotion cam-shaft. of the loom, or through any other suitable connections, and its rotation acts to oscillate thelever U to rockthe arms P to move the lease-rods L; L. In this manner a positive motion is imparted to the lease-rods to oscillatefthem about the central rod'or warp-rest K, the

movement of the rods being synchronized with the shifting of the harnesses in the same manner efqre described. It is 0brah on the central, fixed rod vious that a crank-motion might be substituted for the c'rgLZ, or any other formof reciprocating-m anism may be used to rock the lease-rodsrais best adapted! for the purpose required 1 As before stated, the particular object of my improvement ,is to provide for the uni- .form spacing hr equal distribution of the warp-yarns in the cloth, but in addition to this featuregthe use of the invention makes for other advantages as now explained: In the firstplace, the'rocking motionof the lease-rods acts to open up the warp in lease to prepare it for the weaving operation,

while smoothing and straightening out the individual yarns in parallelization; it also allows for weaving under less warp tension, since the yarns are supported between the whip-roll and the harness and controlled at a. pointjhe same distance back of the harness as the tell is in front thereof; the warp being controlled relatively close to the haring warp across the loom which guards agamst overshots or undershots; in addition, the relief of tension through the use of the device reduces the strain on the harness-cams and other parts of the shed-motion ,of the loom, allowing an increased speed of operation of the 100m. .As regards the product of the loom, it has been determined that cloth woven with the use of my improved attachment will measure an inch or more wider than under ordinary conditions, using the same sley, and furthermore in addition to its superior finish its strength is increased to a very considerable extent.

Various modifications might be made in the form and construction of the parts of my improved apparatus Without departing 'from the spirit or scope of the invention; therefore, without limiting myself to the exact embodiment shown and described. what 'I claim is 1. In a warp-controlling device for looms,

. the combination with the weavingmechanism thereof, of a fixed bar extending horizontally across the loom beneath the Warp at the rear of the harness, two leaserods 'ed for insertion through the warp one on either side of the fixed bar, and means to guide the ends of said lease-rods to allow them/co oscillateup and down as the harness is shifted to'difi'erent positions, said bars arranged to move in an arcuate path abouta central axis which is substantially adaptcoincident with the top of the tired bar so as to maintain both sets of warp-yarns constantly bearing on the bar in whatever posi tion the harness maybe shifted to.

In a Warp-controlling device for looms, the combination with a fixed warp rest extending across the loom beneath the Warp at the rear of the harness, two lease-rods arranged parallel with the warp-rest on opposite sides thereof, means for guidin said lease-rods at their ends while allowing them to oscillate up and down in relation to the warp-rest during the'shifting of the harness, and means for adjusting said warp-restatdifferent heights in relation to the whip roli of the looin to adapt it to he set in such relation that the'oseillation of the rods during the reciprocation of the harness will cause both sets of warp-yarns to bear constantly on the top of the warp rest in whatever position the harness may be shifted to. 3. In a warp controlling device for looms, the combination with the lfmfl flzlll'lfi, of supporting-members vertically atabie in position on the opposite sides of frame, a horizontal warpmest SUPIJOItQti. at its ends by said members, a pair of lease-rode arranged "on opposite sides of warp-rest and parallel therewith, and means on the supporting-members for guiding the lease rods at their ends to adapt them to siide up and down when oscillated. by the movement of the warp-yarns under the actiou'of the harness, said oscillating movement of the lease-rods causing both sets of warpyarns to bear constantly on the top of the warp-rest in. Whatever position the harness may be shifted to, 1 i In testimony whereof I aiiiz my signature.

season A; Jot-L stens. 

